Journal articles: 'African Traditional Religions and Ethics'

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Ilesanmi, Simeon. "Political Atrocities, Moral Indignation, and Forgiveness in African Religious Ethics." Religions 11, no. 11 (November 20, 2020): 620. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel11110620.

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Scholarship on transitional justice has oscillated between the pedagogical value of moral magnanimity, shown by victims of past atrocities who choose to forgive their wrongdoers, and the deterrent effect of imposing punishment on the offenders, which includes making restitution to the victims of their wrongful actions. This article examines the views of two African thinkers on this issue, Archbishop Desmond Tutu who argues for forgiveness, and Wole Soyinka who defends restitution as a better way to express respect for the dignity of both the victims and the rule of law. The article contends that while traditional African values play important roles in the perspectives of these thinkers, they do not, in themselves, justify either of the two positions they advance. The article further contrasts the positive role Tutu and Soyinka assign to historical memory and truth-telling with the strategies of social forgetting and public silence embraced in Sierra Leone and Mozambique in their quest for political reconciliation.

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Molefe, Motsamai. "The “Normative” Concept of Personhood in Wiredu’s Moral Philosophy." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 10, no. 1 (June 3, 2021): 119–44. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v10i1.8.

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The article explores the place and status of the normative concept of personhood in Kwasi Wiredu’s moral philosophy. It begins by distinguishing an ethic from an ethics, where one involves cultural values and the other strict moral values. It proceeds to argue, by a careful exposition of Wiredu’s moral philosophy, that he locates personhood as an essential aspect of communalism [an ethic], and it specifies culture-specific standards of excellence among traditional African societies. I conclude the article by considering one implication of the conclusion, which is that personhood embodies cultural values of excellence concerning the place and status of partiality in Wiredu’s moral philosophy. Keywords: Afro-communitarianism, agent-centred personhood, Ethic, Ethics, Kwasi Wiredu, Partiality Personhood.

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Hiagbe, Komi Ahiatroga. "THE CHURCH AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA." Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 41, no. 2 (December 18, 2015): 164–79. http://dx.doi.org/10.25159/2412-4265/257.

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The snail-pace of social and economic development within sub-Saharan Africa is of major concern not only to the development community, but to all who have the continent’s well-being at heart. Various attempts (many rather elusive) at diagnosis and prescription of the right antidotes to the problem have been made for decades. This paper, however, shares Jeffrey Sachs’s optimism in End of Poverty with the point of departure being that organised religion holds the key to a reversal of the trend. The paper explores the impact of religious beliefs on the development of some communities in the past and the present before concluding that Christianity could unlock the prospects to sub-Saharan Africa’s economic fortunes. In the view of this researcher, African theological reflections, in response to the challenges of endemic corruption, nepotism, superstition, and bad work ethics on the continent, must be grounded in the language, traditional beliefs, values and practices (i.e. culture) of the people as grounds for integration with the modern scientific and technological advancement that confronts the continent. This underscores the need for Christianity itself to become that culture which is willing to accommodate a consciously reconstructed past as the pathway to a developed future.

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Taringa, Nisbert. "How Environmental is African Traditional Religion?" Exchange 35, no. 2 (2006): 191–214. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/157254306776525672.

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AbstractThis article examines some of the beliefs and practices underlying traditional African religion's attitudes to nature with reference to Shona religion of Zimbabwe. At the theoretical level, assuming a romantic view of Shona attitudes to nature, it is possible to conclude that Shona traditional religion is necessarily environmentally friendly. The strong beliefs in ancestral spirits (midzimu), pan-vitalism, kinship, taboo and totems have the potential to bear testimony to this. The aim of this article is to critically examine the extent of the claims that Shona traditional religion is environmentally friendly. It shows that Shona attitudes to nature are in fact discriminative and ambivalent. I argue that the ecological attitude of traditional African religion is more based on fear or respect of ancestral spirits than on respect for nature itself. As a result we need to re-examine Shona attitudes to nature if Shona traditional religion is to re-emerge as a stronger environmental force in the global village. After introductory remarks the article gives an overview background about the Shona focusing on their socio-political organization, world-view and religion. An examination of Shona attitudes to nature focusing on the land, animals, and plant life and water bodies follows. After this there is a reflection on the ethical consequences of Shona attitudes to nature. The last part considers the limits of the romantic view of Shona attitudes to nature.

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Usman, Azhar. "An Apology." American Journal of Islam and Society 25, no. 4 (October 1, 2008): 143–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v25i4.1446.

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On September 11th, 2008, while countless American flags whipped inthe wind and the television and radio waves were dominated by remembrances,recordings, and stories about the terror attacks of seven years ago,I attended the funeral of ImamW.D.Mohammed (may God be pleased withhim). Forme, it was a somber day, but I found myselfmostly lost in thought:about African-American Muslim communities, about the challenges aheadin American Muslim institution-building, and about the future of Islam inAmerica. If you don’t know who ImamWDMwas, you should look him up.The Sufis say: “The true sage belongs to his era.” And of the many giftsgiven to ImamWDM by God, perhaps the most obvious and beneficial onewas the Imam’s profound understanding of the principles of religion, and hisadeptness at intelligently applying those Islamic principles in a socially andculturally appropriate manner befitting the everyday lives of his NorthAmerican followers. While carefully respecting sound, traditional jurisprudentialmethodologies of the Islamic religion, and the collective religioushistory and time-honored scholarship of classical Islam, he promulgated creativeideas and dynamic teachings across many domains of human endeavor,including theology, law, spirituality and even ethics and aesthetics, thattogether articulated a vision for a quintessentially “American Muslim” cultural identity. And he did all of this before anyone else, with quiet strengthand unending humility – a true sage indeed ...

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Chuks, Madukasi, Francis. "Ozo Title: An Indigenous Institution In Traditional Religion That Upholds Patriarchy In Igbo Land South-Eastern Nigeria." International Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities Invention 5, no. 5 (May 3, 2018): 4640–52. http://dx.doi.org/10.18535/ijsshi/v5i5.02.

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In Igbo land, the institution of Ozo title has underpinnings of male chauvinism and often used by men to remind those who appear to be very forward of their subordinate place in the society. Among the Igbo people, the Ozo title is an indigenous institution that is regarded as a central aspect of African indigenous religious practice through which they engage questions about the meaning for life. Through an ethnographic study conducted in recent years, I propose to explore the origin of the Ozo title and the symbolic significance of this indigenous sacred institution with specific reference to its religious, cultural, political, ethical and social significance, a method by which the indigenous communities keeps in constant religious communication with their deities and ancestors. However, I propose to not only examine the various ways in which Ozo title as a sacred institution has been used by their initiates to mediate religious beliefs and practices in African religion, but to specifically focus on its members as agents or ambassadors of different communities. Through an evaluation of significant Igbo religious practices involving Ozo title as a sacred institution performed by initiated men only which upholds patriarchy, I wish to suggest that the Ozo title as a sacred institution has two significant and related functions. The first one is that it enables the initiates to bridge the gap between the visible and unseen world of the ancestors and thus making possible an Igbo understanding of those forces that are believed to control the destinies of man. Secondly, Ozo title as a sacred institution of the Igbo is believed to uphold and sustain the Igbo religious system, and a complex of traditional religious rituals which uphold the privileges of those men who have been initiated into the ancestral cult. This paper point to particular understandings of Ozo title as integral to African religion, and proposes to illustrate this through an examination of Traditional Igbo Religion through the mediation of Ozo title as a sacred institution as part of the broader socio-sacral order.

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Falola, Toyin, and Jacob K. Olupona. "African Traditional Religions in Contemporary Society." International Journal of African Historical Studies 24, no. 2 (1991): 417. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/219809.

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Mana, Kä. "Traditional African Religions and Social Conflict." Peace Review 30, no. 4 (October 2, 2018): 488–92. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2018.1553543.

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Turaki, Yusufu. "The Christianization of African Traditional Religions." International Review of Mission 108, no. 2 (November 2019): 349–62. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/irom.12289.

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Essien, Essien D. "Overcoming Conflict Between Religious and Cultural Freedom and Women's Rights in Africa." International Journal of Public and Private Perspectives on Healthcare, Culture, and the Environment 1, no. 2 (July 2017): 41–54. http://dx.doi.org/10.4018/ijppphce.2017070103.

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Scholarship is generally divided between those who view female circumcision as a religious ritual to be observed, and those who consider the practice as cruel and human right abuse. This lends credence to the ethical question: what should be done when the exercise of the rituals of female circumcision, which is central to African Traditional Religion, entails transgression of fundamental rights? Relying on John Rawls' model and rights based approach. This study examines African religious landscape characterized with this disagreement. With an insight provided into understanding this conflict, a criterion on what should constitute an appropriate interaction is thus supplied.

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Lewis, James R. "Images of traditional African religions in surveys of world religions." Religion 20, no. 4 (October 1990): 311–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0048-721x(90)90114-l.

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Luyaluka, Kiatezua Lubanzadio. "The Theory of General Devolution: A Call for an African Solar Renaissance." Journal of Black Studies 49, no. 7 (July 5, 2018): 627–46. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0021934718786046.

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Through its theory of general devolution, this article shows that as African holistic epistemology was pushed at the fringe of cultural and scientific practices, Africa lost the advances it enjoyed in precolonial time in the domains of equality of the genre, ethical norms, medicine, textile, astronomy, and so on, because African scholars could not defend the scientific validity and superiority of the holistic epistemology on which these traditional values are based. For the solution to this general devolution, solar renaissance is urged as the reintroduction of solar religion which will practically result in the parallel reintroduction of the initiatory education with its accompanying development of the potential for the freedom soul, a powerful tool against “epistemological obstacles.” The demonstrated scientific validity of African holistic epistemology will thus lead to the revalorization of our original cost-efficient and cost-effective traditional technologies.

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Oyekan, Adeolu Oluwaseyi. "John Mbiti on the Monotheistic Attribution of African Traditional Religions: A Refutation." Filosofia Theoretica: Journal of African Philosophy, Culture and Religions 10, no. 1 (June 3, 2021): 19–34. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ft.v10i1.2.

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John Mbiti, in his attempt to disprove the charge of paganism by EuroAmerican ethnographic and anthropological scholars against African Traditional Religions argues that traditional African religions are monotheistic. He insists that these traditional religious cultures have the same conception of God as found in the Abrahamic religions. The shared characteristics, according to him are foundational to the spread of the “gospel” in Africa. Mbiti’s effort, though motivated by the desire to refute the imperial charge of inferiority against African religions ran, I argue, into a conceptual and descriptive conflation of ATRs with monotheistic faiths. In this paper, I challenge the superimposition of Judeo-Christian categories upon African religions. I argue that monotheism is just a strand, out of many, that expresses belief in God(s), and that it differs substantially from the polytheistic pre-colonial African understanding of religion. I provide a panentheistic paradigm using traditional Igbo ontology and religion to refute Mbiti’s generalization. Keywords: Monotheism, African Traditional Religion, Igbo, Paganism, Theology.

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Ohaja, Magdalena, Jo Murphy-Lawless, and Margaret Dunlea. "Religion and Spirituality in Pregnancy and Birth: The Views of Birth Practitioners in Southeast Nigeria." Religions 10, no. 2 (January 28, 2019): 82. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel10020082.

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Religion and spirituality have been acknowledged as crucial aspects of health and wellbeing. Nigeria, the most populous African country, is a multi-religious society where plural health systems (traditional and modern) co-exist. Religion is part of everyday conversation within the country and traditional healthcare providers are believed to have spiritual healing powers. Correspondingly, Nigerian women in their quest for a meaningful and comprehensive maternity care experience continue to use the plural health systems during the pregnancy birth continuum. Drawing from data collected through interviewing midwives (n = 7) and traditional birth attendants (n = 5), this paper explored the place of religion and spirituality within maternity care in the context of Igbo-Nigeria, through the lens of hermeneutic-phenomenology. Ethical approval was granted by relevant institutions and consent was obtained from each participant prior to the interviews. The findings revealed divergent views of the birth practitioners, influenced on one hand by conventional Western scientific ways of thinking, and on the other hand by traditional/cultural orientation. Healthcare professionals’ views on the place of religion and spirituality within maternity care in Igbo-Nigeria reflect societal norms, impacting either positively or negatively on women’s needs for a meaningful maternity care experience. In order to improve women’s satisfaction with their pregnancy and birth experience, it is important for the healthcare providers to pay attention to and reflect on their own religious and spiritual belief systems.

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Zimoň, Henryk. "The Role of Women in African Traditional Religions." Acta Ethnographica Hungarica 51, no. 1-2 (March 2006): 43–60. http://dx.doi.org/10.1556/aethn.51.2006.1-2.3.

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Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena. "Christianity and Sports: Religious Functionaries and Charismatic Prophets in Ghana Soccer." Studies in World Christianity 21, no. 3 (December 2015): 239–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/swc.2015.0126.

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This paper examines the way in which, within an African religious and spiritual context, athletes – and in particular footballers of Ghana – employ religious functionaries and religious means from a variety of traditions in an attempt to achieve sporting success. Specific examples and case studies illustrate and contextualise this search. The connections of this mode of searching for success with traditional African views of causality and with a Pentecostalist/charismatic prosperity ethic are explored, and its consequences are assessed.

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Hartman, Tim. "African religions as “parables of the Kingdom”?" STJ | Stellenbosch Theological Journal 5, no. 1 (June 10, 2020): 93–109. http://dx.doi.org/10.17570/stj.2019.v5n1.a05.

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This article engages Swiss theologian Karl Barth’s understanding of true words of revelation coming through cultural media (“parables of the Kingdom” in Church Dogmatics IV/3, §69.2) in juxtaposition with Ghanaian theologian Kwame Bediako’s understanding of African traditional religions as “evangelical preparation” for the Christian faith, claiming that since God has been active among Africans for millennia, Africans have been worshipping the same God as Christians. In contrast, Barth understands Jesus Christ to be prophetically proclaiming a message of good news that opposes many (Western) cultural assumptions. Barth’s understanding of Jesus Christ as the “Light of Life” serves to desacralize the Christian community and the Biblical Scriptures and collapses the categories of “sacred” and “profane.” Eliminating this binary categorization opens the possibility of affirming traditional African religions as media of revelation.

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Ebere Nwazonobi, Patricia, Edwin O. Izuakor, Isaac Attah Edeh, Innocent Aliama, Loveth Ogbonne Ogudu, Beatrice Ogonna Ogbonna, and Victor Chinedu Ogbozor. "Religious and Ethical Dress Code Dynamics in Africa : Igbo Traditional Society in Focus." African Journal of Religion Philosophy and Culture 2, no. 1 (June 1, 2021): 5–22. http://dx.doi.org/10.31920/2634-7644/2020/v2n1a1.

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Dress can be a reflection of the social world order, which is bound by a tacit set of rules, customs, conventions, and rituals that guide face-to-face interaction as observed in Africa and among people of Igbo descent. Africans are known for their cultural values and norms which their dress codes are significantly recognised in line with their national identity and symbols. The method adopted in this research work is qualitative to dissect these negative attitudinal changes in dressing that have led to increase in promiscuity, less zeal in education, crime and corruption. Findings showed that ‘riot’ in dress code are a reflection of lack of family values and orientations, parental negligence and irresponsibility. From late twentieth century to this twenty first century, there is a twist in the ethics of dressing that have defiled moral values, class, status, religiosity and cultural identity. For instance, before the above mentioned period in any gathering, one can easily differentiate the married from the singles, celebrities from other members of the society, the affluence from the poor, masquerades from human beings, the prostitutes, and gigolos from the decent. Today, there is ‘riot’ in dress code that some people dress like traditional priests and lunatics in the name of fashion or ‘fashion in vogue’. Women, both married and single dress alike which makes it difficult to differentiate the married from the single; this is also applicable to men. The focus of this research work on Igbo of Southeast Nigeria is for effective investigation. Again, Igbo people are adventurers which brings the globe as a village to them be it negative or positive including dressing. People ought to adhere to religious and social differentiations in dress code which recognise regional groups, classes, occupation, majority and minority groups, educational levels, persons of different ages, men and women.

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Chitando, Ezra. "African Christian Scholars and the Study of African Traditional Religions: A Re-evaluation." Religion 30, no. 4 (October 2000): 391–97. http://dx.doi.org/10.1006/reli.2000.0290.

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Michello, Janet. "The Black Madonna: A Theoretical Framework for the African Origins of Other World Religious Beliefs." Religions 11, no. 10 (October 10, 2020): 511. http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/rel11100511.

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This review summarizes existing scholarship in order to theorize how Abrahamic religions and Hinduism were influenced by African beliefs, in order to illuminate the contributions that African beliefs have had on other world religions. The review begins with a brief historical overview of the origins of indigenous ideologies, followed by a review of classical theories of religion and a summary of contemporary religious trends, with particular attention on African beliefs. The Black Madonna, with origins in Africa, is a prominent example of how African beliefs have been integrated into other faiths in ways that are often obscured from view. The Black Madonna is compared with the characteristics and symbolism of the traditional fair-skinned Virgin Mary. It is estimated that there are hundreds of depictions of the Black Madonna, yet her identity as truly black is generally minimized. This review contributes a theoretical rationale for the lack of recognition and acceptance of the Madonna as black, contextualizing this within a feminist theoretical viewpoint and analyzing the connection to African folklore and traditional religious beliefs. The theoretical framework articulated in this paper contributes an elucidation of the ways that indigenous African religions have affected other world religions. Acknowledging this influence challenges the simplistic notion of reified distinctions between Western and non-Western religions.

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Nyika, Aceme. "The ethics of improving African traditional medical practice: Scientific or African traditional research methods?" Acta Tropica 112 (November 2009): S32—S36. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2009.08.010.

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Kirby, Jon P. "Anthropology of Knowledge and the Christian Dialogue with African Traditional Religions." Missiology: An International Review 20, no. 3 (July 1992): 323–41. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/009182969202000301.

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Local theologies in Africa have taken their cue from the dialogue with African traditional religions (ATRs). But this important dialogue is new, and it has much to learn from one already long established—that between Islam and ATRs. In this article the author explores the way in which Islam has used divination and other traditional African religious institutions to transform the way in which traditional problems are perceived, interpreted, and solved, thus allowing a resultant cultural and religious transformation to proceed naturally from its own indigenous roots.

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Kirkland, Russell. "“Enhancing Life?” Perspectives from Traditional Chinese Value-Systems." Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics 36, no. 1 (2008): 26–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-720x.2008.00234.x.

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In his introduction to this symposium, “Religions and Cultures of East and West: Perspectives on Bioethics,” Dr. Robert Sade defined its purpose as follows: “The objective of [our] discussions…is to explore the limits of enhancement technologies in light of what makes us essentially human, in the view of world-wide cultures and religions.”These issues would seem to be at the cutting edge of any informed deliberation concerning the merits of “human enhancement” technologies. For instance, the issue of how “what makes us essentially human” affects our reflection on issues of technological “life enhancement” is raised in a 2007 book by Harvard professor Michael J. Sandel, The Case Against Perfection: Ethics in the Age of Genetic Engineering.

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Ikeke, Mark Omorovie. "Ecophilosophy and African traditional ecological knowledge." Idea. Studia nad strukturą i rozwojem pojęć filozoficznych 30, no. 1 (2018): 228–40. http://dx.doi.org/10.15290/idea.2018.30.1.17.

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Ecophilosophy is concerned with the critical study of ecological issues. It critiques the human- earth relationship advocating for friendly treatment of the environment. Philosophy’s interests in the environmental crisis dates back to the late 1960s. Among those who were at the forefront are Holmes Rolston III, Thomas Berry, and Richard Routley. The philosophical movement towards the environment was also inspired by Rachel Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, Garrett Hardin’s The Tragedy of the Commons, Lynn White’s 1967 article, The Historical Roots of the Ecological Crisis, Paul Ehrlich’s Population Bomb, and so forth. It is not that before the 1960s philosophers have not spoken about the environment. The unfortunate thing was that most of the philosophers that had spoken about the environment merely saw the environment or nature from a utilitarian perspective and nature was perceived as an object to be studied, evaluated and conquered without concern for environmental wellbeing. Yet, when the philosophic turn towards the environment began even till today, most of the voices are those of western and Euro-centric philosophers. Indigenous voices and wisdoms from non-western cultures are often ignored. The purpose of this paper is to argue for the place of African traditional ecological knowledge in ecophilosophy and environmental ethics. Through the method of critical analysis, what constitutes African traditional ecological knowledge and its place in global environmental ethics is examined. The paper finds and concludes that global environmental ethics will be incomplete and weakened without the inclusion of African traditional ecological knowledge.

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Ebong, Epiemembong Louis. "Living Together in Unity and Interdependence: Reviving the African Spirit of Altruism and Benevolence." Holiness 6, no. 1 (January 1, 2020): 35–45. http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/holiness-2020-0005.

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Abstract How can we live together in peace? This article reflects on the need to develop an ethic of social responsibility that values and enhances solidarity. It is a response to the proliferation of violence in many African communities and seeks to argue against egoism (individualism) which it considers the root cause of much political and socio-economic insecurity across the continent. It maintains that a way of addressing this situation is the development of an altruistic mindset. The article thus attempts to combine traditional African cultural and religious narratives with comparable principles within the Christian tradition in order to explore the importance of altruistic action in the contemporary African context.

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Nxumalo, Celenkosini Thembelenkosini, and Gugu Gladness Mchunu. "Zulu Men’s Conceptions, Understanding, and Experiences of Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa." American Journal of Men's Health 14, no. 2 (March 2020): 155798831989243. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1557988319892437.

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Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) is proven to reduce transmission of HIV/AIDS. Despite concerted efforts to scale up VMMC in men aged 18–49, the number of medically circumcised men in this age group remains suboptimal. Research has shown that several individual factors hinder and promote uptake of VMMC. The nature of these factors is not clearly understood within the dimensions of religion, culture and tradition, particularly in a low-income rural setting. This study aimed to analyze Zulu men’s conceptions, understanding and experiences regarding VMMC in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa. A qualitative phenomenographic study approach was used to collect data from 20 uncircumcised males at six different clinics that provide VMMC services. Ethical approval to collect data was obtained from the Biomedical Research Ethics Committee of the University of KZN (BREC – BE627/18). Individual in-depth face to face interviews were conducted using a semistructured interview guide. Audiotapes were used to record interviews which were transcribed verbatim and then analyzed manually. The conceptions regarding medical circumcision appeared to be related to religious and cultural beliefs surrounding circumcision and the historical traditional practice thereof. The understanding of males regarding VMMC was mainly attributed to HIV prevention; however, knowledge on the degree of partial protection appeared to be limited. An array of negative accounted in the form of complications such as poor wound healing and postoperative pain undergone by peers and other close influencers’ accounted for participants’ experiences of VMMC. Poor knowledge and negative experiences relating to VMMC could account for reasons why men choose not to undergo VMMC.

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Gobo, Prisca A. "Rethinking Religion and Sustainable Development in Africa." East African Journal of Traditions, Culture and Religion 2, no. 1 (October 1, 2020): 60–71. http://dx.doi.org/10.37284/eajtcr.2.1.219.

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This article suggests religion as a viable option for sustainable development in Africa. The focus will be on the three major religions in Africa, namely, African Traditional Religion (ATR), Islam and Christianity. The crux of this paper is on the areas of strength and similarities in the three religions which could foster development. Approaching this topic from within the African and African diasporic context, the nexus between the religions will be established. We will be historical in our interrogation of facts. By analysing the different historical sources and adherents of these religions, proper interpretation would be given to this topic using the interdisciplinary approach to historical writing. Conclusions would be drawn after careful examination of the facts which would clearly indicate that religion could aid sustainable development in more ways than one.

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Katulushi, Clement. "Teaching Traditional African Religions and Gender Issues in Religious Education in Zambia." British Journal of Religious Education 21, no. 2 (March 1999): 101–11. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/0141620990210205.

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Cordovil, Daniela. "On the border between culture and religion. Public policies for Afro-Brazilian religions in Brazil." Vibrant: Virtual Brazilian Anthropology 11, no. 2 (December 2014): 268–87. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/s1809-43412014000200010.

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This paper aims to discuss some of the recent questions concerning the promotion of public policies for Afro-Brazilian religions. To access to these policies, these groups have organized over the last few decades in the form of civil society associations and their leaders have attended many ministerial board meetings and committees. Because of this engagement, Afro-Brazilian religions were classified as "traditional terreiro peoples" and more recently received the label of "traditional peoples and communities of African origin." The paper analyses the various arguments underpinning the discursive construction of Afro-Brazilian religions as representatives of a black cultural heritage in Brazil.

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Almeida, Nadi Maria de. "TOWARDS A CHRISTIAN APPROACH TO AFRICA TRADITIONAL RELIGION." INTERAÇÕES 16, no. 1 (March 28, 2021): 118–31. http://dx.doi.org/10.5752/p.1983-2478.2021v16n1p118-131.

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Inter-Religious dialogue is a demand for the mission. Based on the theological investigation of scholars who explore and write on the subject, the article analyses the theological challenge of Inter-Religious dialogue especially in approaching African Traditional Religions. The discussion concerns the Christian theology of religious pluralism with the local religion in Africa looking at the theological progress, not just from the abstract world of books, but also, from connecting with the life of the people, appreciating and connecting points of convergences with the local culture and religions. Still, a long way to go on the reflection and there needs to open wider our vision concerning the action of the Spirit that has been always present in Africa.

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Taka, Iwao. "Business Ethics: A Japanese View." Business Ethics Quarterly 4, no. 1 (January 1994): 53–78. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/3857559.

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Abstract:Although “fairness” and “social responsibilities” form part of the business ethics agenda of Japanese corporations, the meaning of these terms must be understood in the context of the distinctive Japanese approach to ethics. In Japan, ethics is inextricably bound up with religious dimension (two normative environments) and social dimension (framework of concentric circles). The normative environments, influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism, and other traditional and modern Japanese religions, emphasize that not only individuals but also groups have their own spirit (numen) which is connected to the ultimate reality. The framework of concentric circles lets moral agents apply different ethical rules to the respective circles. The dynamics of these religious and social dimensions lead to a different view of both individuals and corporations from that dominant in the West.

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Kuznar, Lawrence A., and James L. Cox. "Rites of Passage in Contemporary Africa: Interaction between Christian and African Traditional Religions." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 38, no. 1 (March 1999): 185. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1387595.

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Willcox, Merlin L., and Gerard Bodeker. "The ethics of improving African traditional medical practice: A response." Acta Tropica 115, no. 1-2 (July 2010): 163–64. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.actatropica.2010.02.006.

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Ikeke, Mark Omorovie. "Feminist Ethics and Gender Portrayals in Urhobo (African) Traditional Music." East African Journal of Traditions, Culture and Religion 3, no. 2 (June 22, 2021): 1–10. http://dx.doi.org/10.37284/eajtcr.3.1.347.

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Essential concern of feminist ethics is that the moral perspectives and experiences of women are not often taken into cognizance in ethical discussion and that there is an unjust power structure in a culture that discriminates against women and privileges the position and rights of men over women. The moral ideal is often based on the male evaluation. The moral views on what ought to be just relationships between men and women permeate almost all aspects of cultural life, including music. Urhobo traditional music is not an exception. Urhobo traditional music which is a reflection of African traditional values that endorses patriarchy portrays women as inferior to men and women are to be subservient to men in decision-making in society. The paper will use critical analytic and hermeneutic methods to do a feminist ethical critique of gender portrayal in Urhobo traditional music. Excerpts from Urhobo traditional music will be presented, translated and their meaning evaluated. The paper finds and concludes that there is a need to create traditional music that projects the equality of men and women, just relationships among the sexes, and enhances the positive values of feminist ethics.

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Brivio, Alessandra. "Notes sur le Culte des Orisa et Vodun: Pierre Fatumbi Verger and the Study of “African Traditional Religion”." History in Africa 40, no. 1 (August 6, 2013): 275–94. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/hia.2013.13.

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AbstractThis article examines Pierre Verger’s Notes sur le culte des Orisa et Vodun à Bahia, la Baie de tous les Saints, au Brésil et à l’ancienne côte des esclaves en Afrique and aims to investigate his position in relation to the study of religion, Vodun in particular, in the African context, and his contribution to the construction of an “African traditional religion” paradigm. In Notes sur le culte des Orisa et Vodun, Verger intended to make a comparative analysis of “African sources” and “Brazilian remnants” in order to ascertain what had survived the middle passage. This article seeks to highlight the innovative perspectives Verger introduced to the study of religions in Africa, perspectives that included a wide use of historical sources and a deep involvement in field research, and to point up his different methodological position on the two sides of the Atlantic. In Africa he sought pure tradition, while in Brazil he emphasized the modernity of the African religions that proved able to survive the Atlantic passage and resist the hegemonic powers of the New World.

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Christians, Clifford G. "Review of international media ethics." Comunicação e Sociedade 25 (June 30, 2014): 34–48. http://dx.doi.org/10.17231/comsoc.25(2014).1855.

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An international orientation has been a primary goal of media ethics, especially since the MacBride Report (1980), as can be seen in cases, issues and codes of ethics that have been adopted in different countries. But work in ethical theory has also been increasingly committed to an international perspective, and three examples of it (besides the classical Habermas’ discourse ethics) are discussed in this essay: feminist ethics of care, African communal ethics, and Confucian media ethics. All these theories emphasize, in their specific ways, three major ethical principles – truth, human dignity, non-violence – that emerge from a common protonorm, a kind of first belief that can be found in all religions, philosophies, and cultures: the sacredness of life. Given the dilemmas and moral issues that the media face in today’s volatile world, a commitment with these universal values will give communication education and practice long-term vitality.

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Asamoah-Gyadu, J. Kwabena. "Therapeutic Strategies in African Religions: Health, Herbal Medicines and Indigenous Christian Spirituality." Studies in World Christianity 20, no. 1 (April 2014): 70–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.3366/swc.2014.0072.

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The use of herbs has been the main means of curing diseases in traditional Africa and this continued through the colonial period to present times. Widely held traditional views that interpreted certain diseases as caused by supernatural agents meant that, although some ailments could be naturally caused, in most cases, shrine priests and diviners were needed to dispense herbal preparations for clients. Christian missionaries mostly – though by no means all – denounced herbal medicines as evil, looking on them as pagan because of the close relationship between herbs and agents of local divinities. At the emergence of the African independent church movement at the beginning of the twentieth century, herbal medicines acquired a sacramental value, and today they are obtained from churches and local prophets as therapeutic substances infused with spiritual power for healing. The sacramental interpretation of herbs has been extended to those obtained from prayer places and grottoes under the supervision of historic mission denominations, a phenomenon that has virtually transformed the image of herbs and herbal medicines in African therapeutic systems.

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Bele, Aluwani A., Hilda N. Shilubane, Mygirl P. Lowane, and Enneth T. Nkhwashu. "Cultural Practices Regarding the Management of Infant Colic by Women in Limpopo Province, South Africa." Open Public Health Journal 14, no. 1 (April 19, 2021): 168–73. http://dx.doi.org/10.2174/1874944502114010168.

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Background: Infant colic is a self-limiting condition reported in the past decade. It is a syndrome distinguished by uncontrollable crying in a healthy baby and begins in the early weeks of life and settles around six months. This study aimed to explore the understanding of infant colic and the cultural practices regarding its management by women in a particular village of Limpopo province in South Africa. Methods: A qualitative phenomenological, exploratory and descriptive design was used to explore cultural practices regarding the management of infant colic by women at the particular village of Vhembe District, Limpopo province. Participants were selected based on their availability or accessibility for study purpose. Data was collected through unstructured interview, observational notes and field notes from 16 participants. The central question was: “What is your understanding of infant colic, and how do you manage it?” Tesch’s eight steps of open-coding was used to analyse data. Ethical clearance to conduct the study was obtained from the University of Venda Research Ethics Committee. The local authorities permitted interaction with the participants in the villages. The trustworthiness of the study was ensured through credibility, dependability, transferability and confirmability. Results: The misconceptions about infant colic, use of self-medication, cultural norms, taking the baby to the traditional and religious practitioners emerged during the analysis. Conclusion: The traditional approach to managing infant colic not be ignored because their forefathers discovered the formula, and it must be included and respected by citizens in the country.

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Amoah, Jewel, and Tom Bennett. "The Freedoms of Religion and Culture under the South African Constitution: Do Traditional African Religions Enjoy Equal Treatment?" Journal of Law and Religion 24, no. 1 (2008): 1–20. http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0748081400001910.

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On Sunday, January 20, 2007, Tony Yengeni, former Chief Whip of South Africa's governing party, the African National Congress (ANC), celebrated his early release from a four-year prison sentence by slaughtering a bull at his father's house in the Cape Town township of Gugulethu. This time-honored African ritual was performed in order to appease the Yengeni family ancestors. Animal rights activists, however, decried the sacrifice as an act of unnecessary cruelty to the bull, and a public outcry ensued. Leading figures in government circles, including the Minister of Arts and Culture, Pallo Jordan, entered the fray, calling for a proper understanding of African cultural practices. Jody Kollapen, the Chair of the Human Rights Commission, said: “the slaughter of animals by cultures in South Africa was an issue that needed to be dealt with in context. Cultural liberty is an important right. …”That the sacrifice was defended on the ground of African culture was to be expected. More surprising was the way in which everyone involved in the affair ignored what could have been regarded as an event of religious significance. Admittedly, it is far from easy to separate the concepts of religion and culture, and, in certain societies, notably those of pre-colonial Africa, this distinction was unknown. Today in South Africa, however, it is clearly necessary to make such a distinction for human rights litigation, partly because the Constitution specifies religion and culture as two separate rights and partly because it seems that those working under the influence of modern human rights seem to take religion more seriously than culture.

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Chung, Truong Van. "The Characteristics of Culture and Religions in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam: Processes of Acculturation, Transformation and Accumulation." Tattva - Journal of Philosophy 7, no. 2 (July 5, 2015): 27–51. http://dx.doi.org/10.12726/tjp.14.2.

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Ho Chi Minh City is a city which has received and accumulated many cultures and religions from around the world, from Oriental culture to Western civilization, from West Asian and East Asian cultures to South Asian and Southeast Asian cultures. The cultures of some African and Latin American countries have also arrived recently. Most world religions, regional religions, national religions and even new religions are present in the city. The characteristic of religions and cultural identities of Ho Chi Minh City is in the process of transformation, receipt and selection of the cultural and religion elements of those cultures. Based on the research results of a scientific research on the topic, “Cultural and religion life in Ho Chi Minh City in the era of international integration”, we would like to share some opinions about the characteristics of culture and religions in the process of cultural exchange, acculturation and accumulation of Ho Chi Minh City from traditional to modern stage.

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Bourdillon, M. F. C., G. Ter Haar, A. Moyo, and S. J. Nondo. "African Traditional Religions in Religious Education: A Resource Book with Special Reference to Zimbabwe." Journal of Religion in Africa 24, no. 3 (August 1994): 277. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1581306.

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Ndemanu, Michael T. "Traditional African religions and their influences on the worldviews of Bangwa people of Cameroon." Frontiers: The Interdisciplinary Journal of Study Abroad 30, no. 1 (January 31, 2018): 70–84. http://dx.doi.org/10.36366/frontiers.v30i1.405.

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This essay explores the traditional African religious beliefs and practices of the people of Bangwa in the Southwestern region of Cameroon in order to uncover how those beliefs influence their thought processes and worldviews. In the course of rethinking and re-examining their belief systems and their traditional religious practices, the following themes emerged: religious sacrifices, observance of the Sabbath, belief system, incontrovertible belief in God, sorcery and divine retribution, the dead and the living, inequality and class divide, dreams and interpretation, names and religious identity. The implication of the essay is that study abroad should encompass religious studies that help study abroad students learn ways of thinking and knowing of their host countries.

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Nwosu, Ok Steve. "The Ethics of Justice and Good Governance in African Traditional Society." Democracy & Nature 8, no. 3 (November 2002): 467–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1085566022000022137.

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Failinger, Marie A. "Religious Americans and Political Choices." American Journal of Islam and Society 24, no. 3 (July 1, 2007): 156–58. http://dx.doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v24i3.1541.

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The Journal of Law and Religion held its 2006 Law, Religion, and Ethicssymposium, “Religious Americans and Political Choices,” at Hamline University.The event focused on reframing the divide between the so-calledreligious “Red State” and secular “Blue State” political discourses. Its objectivewas to discover what the major American faith traditions share by wayof political values and understandings about the critical issues facing theUnited States, particularly in the areas of race, poverty, environmental protection,and restorative justice.Keynoter David Gushee (Graves Professor of Moral Philosophy, UnionUniversity) began with an “insider’s critique” of how evangelicals haveallowed political conservatives to capture their commitments on issues thatdo not fully reflect their broad priorities as Christians. He argued that evangelicalChristians should cast a wary eye on politico-religious alignments inaccord with their basic principles. Evangelicals, Gushee noted, believe thatGod is redeeming the world on His own time and that a Christian’s first loyaltymust be to Jesus Christ as Lord, not parties, and teaching the Good Newsas well as loving God and one’s neighbor. This evangelical commitmententails the recognition that political activity cannot redeem the world; butbecause the world is an arena of moral concern, politics is a necessary (if sinful)part of life. Thus, Christians must seek peace and prosperity for the entirehuman community, with a consistent ethic of life that embraces those membersof the wider world community who have been marginalized.In the panel on race and poverty, David Skeel (professor of law, Universityof Pennsylvania), an evangelical Christian, continued this theme by discussingthe important role that evangelicals and other Christians have playedin pursuing debt relief for Africa, despite their traditional suspicion of biggovernment. He called for religious Christians to identify the “moral blindspots of our age” and demand that political leaders recognize the equalworth of every human being, both at home and abroad ...

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Njibwakale, Wabomba Sychellus. "Atonement in African Pluralistic Context: Examples from the Luhya of Western Kenya." Perichoresis 14, no. 1 (June 1, 2016): 21–39. http://dx.doi.org/10.1515/perc-2016-0002.

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Abstract The study is a response to the call for papers that focus on African issues and it discusses the issue of atonement. The question which is raised is whether the Jewish and Luhya traditional concepts of atonement are similar or not. To answer this question, I have attempted to explain the understanding of the concept in Jewish tradition before comparing and contrasting this with the Luhya traditional concept of atonement. The study shows that there is a sense of harmony maintained or restored between worshippers and their objects of worship. Through a study of comparative religions, we find various depictions of atonement in different religious traditions. But the goal is the same—the attainment of forgiveness and reconciliation.

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Karpf, Juanita. "The Possibility of Theomusicology: William Bradbury’s Esther, the Beautiful Queen." Religion and the Arts 16, no. 1-2 (2012): 1–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/156852912x615865.

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AbstractAfrican-American scholar, theologian, and musician Jon Michael Spencer issued his initial publications on his theory of theomusicology in 1986. As an alternative to more traditional musicologies, Spencer specifies theomusicology as a theoretical model of theologically, biblically, and spiritually-informed historical and analytical studies in music, of particular appropriateness to African-American music making. Theomusicology redirects the analytical and critical objectivity of musicologies to facilitate concentration on iterations of ethical, religious, and mythological beliefs, regardless of their medium, location, and cultural function. It seeks ways to describe the synthesis of the sacred and profane—the meshing of seeming opposites. This article explores the application of theomusicology to African-American performances of a popular large-scale vocal work entitled,Esther, the Beautiful Queen, written in 1856 by U.S. composer William Bradbury.

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Crafford, D. "Godsdienstige perspektiewe in die heropbou van die gemeenskap." Verbum et Ecclesia 16, no. 2 (September 21, 1995): 277–90. http://dx.doi.org/10.4102/ve.v16i2.453.

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Religious perspectives in the reconstruction of the society The multi-religious context in South Africa is a fact and must be taken into account in any effort towards reconstruction and development of the society. The different religiOns are challenged to participate in the process of reconstruction. In many ways they can contribute positively towards the process. There are however also elements in religions which can hinder and obstruct the process. 17lis article considers a number of perspectives in Islam, Hinduism, African Traditional Religion and Christianity which can have a positive or negative influence on the Reconstruction and Development Program in South Africa.

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Hernandez-Ramdwar, Camille. "African traditional religions in the Caribbean and Brazil: models of religious tourism and impacts of commodification." Journal of Heritage Tourism 8, no. 1 (February 2013): 81–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/1743873x.2013.765750.

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Peel, J. D. Y. "The pastor and the babalawo: the interaction of religions in nineteenth-century Yorubaland." Africa 60, no. 3 (July 1990): 338–69. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/1160111.

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1. The Priority of the EncounterThe system of divination called Ifa is among the most elaborate of African systems of divination and occupies a unique position in what is often called ‘Yoruba traditional religion’. That it is inappropriate simply to regard it as part of Yoruba traditional religion indicates the nature of our problem. For its saliency in Yoruba religion, as that has been conceived by commentators both Yoruba and non-Yoruba since the early nineteenth century, has precisely been because of its capacity to ‘ride’ social change, to detach itself from much of what Muslims and Christians call paganism, and to impose itself on the respectful attention of the modern educated.

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Rey, Terry, and Karen Richman. "The Somatics of Syncretism: Tying Body and Soul in Haitian Religion." Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses 39, no. 3 (August 20, 2010): 379–403. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0008429810373321.

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The convergence of African religion and Christianity in the Atlantic world has inspired some of the most significant and most analyzed examples of syncretism in the study of religion. Scholarly discussions of these phenomena, however, tend to portray religions like Vodou in Haiti and Candomblé in Brazil as mergers of various Euro-Christian and ‘‘traditional’’ African elements that chiefly result from processes of cognitive ideation, thereby blurring the integrative somatic dimensions of religious syncretism. Modes of embodying knowledge, power, and morality are thus largely absent from the discussion of religious syncretism in Haitian Vodou and Catholicism, as well as other contact-cultural religions, whose congregational and performance spaces now span national boundaries. Drawing upon the historiography of Kongolese and Haitian religion, and on our multi-site ethnographic research among religious communities in Haiti, to think about religious syncretism in the African diaspora, this paper focuses on two key metaphors of mimetic knowledge and embodiment, mare and pwen (tying and point), arguing that they are both fundamental processes in Haitian religious syncretism and essential tropes for understanding Haitian Vodou and Catholicism, processes that are of predominantly Central African, and especially Kongolese, origin.

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Journal articles on the topic 'African Traditional Religions and Ethics'

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